What are three quotations that pertain to the three main points I have made for an essay on "The Lottery"? [My thesis explores the potentials of...

Perhaps, you may wish to revise your three main points so that they are parallel in construction. For, these points are the "blueprint" of your thesis and, as such, they need to be written in a parallel structure which will allow readers to better understand.

Here are suggested points based upon what you have written; they are also put into the order that is more in keeping with the chronology of the story:

1. The blind adherence to tradition


2. The arbitrary nature of man


3. The natural proclivity in humans for violence.

1. Blind adherence to tradition

While Jackson deceives her readers as she describes the annual gathering for the lottery, it is clear that this lottery is an old tradition. Even though it is a cruel one, the townspeople seem to be subjected to what Emerson called "the opium of custom." When, for instance, Mr. Summers suggests that the community get a new box to replace the shabby black box, nothing is ever done about it:

 No one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box.

No one better exemplifies this phrase of Emerson better than Old Man Warner who retorts after hearing that some villages have done away with the lottery, 

"Pack of crazy fools....Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work any more....Used to be a saying, 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.'...There's always been a lottery...."

2. The arbitrary nature of man

As the people gather for the beginning of the lottery, there are shifts in opinions as well as exhibitions of hypocrisy. For example, before Mr. Summers arrives with the black box, the men stand around and share quiet jokes; later, they engage in stoning a victim. Parents, who purport to love their children, call them sharply, but soon allow them to witness a heinous act. 

When Mrs. Tessie Hutchinson hurries along the path to the village square, she slides into place in the crowd next to her friend Mrs. Delacroix, "and they both laughed softly." "Clean forgot what day it was," Tessie says, but Mrs. Delacroix assures her, "You're in time, though. They're still talking away up there."
However, later she scolds Tessie when her name is drawn from the black box:

"Be a good sport, Tessie....All of us took the same chance."

Then, when everyone gets ready to stone Tessie, Mrs. Delacroix seems eager to stone her as she

...selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs. Dunbar. "Come on," she said. "Hurry up."

3. The natural proclivity of humans for violence

In the beginning of the story, the boys gather stones quickly;

Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones.... 

Mrs. Dunbar has stones in her hands, but cannot hurry fast enough. She calls out "....I'll catch up with you" to the others.

Once the drawing of the name is made, Old Man Warner calls out, "Come on, come on, everyone."

What is one character flaw Bill or Sam has in "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry?

Both Bill and Sam assume too much. First, they assume that all the people of the small town of Summit are "undeleterious." This means they assumed the people were harmless. Bill and Sam also assumed "philoprogenitiveness" (the love of one's children) is strong in small towns such as Summit. From their research on Ebenezer Dorset, Bill and Sam assume he would break down immediately and give up whatever ransom they demanded for his son (Red Chief/Johnny). This makes Sam and Bill presumptuous. They also show some arrogance in supposing that everyone from small towns behaves the same way. Their major flaw is assumptions. One might add that Bill is weak and/or has no babysitting skills. If Johnny is the terror that Sam describes, though, this is not really Bill's fault or flaw. 

Sam and Bill's assumption of the town's "philoprogenitiveness" comes back to bite them when they demand the ransom. The first ironic twist that counters their assumptions is that Johnny is too much for them to handle. Johnny has the time of his life being kidnapped. The second twist is when Johnny's father makes them a counteroffer and demands Sam and Bill pay him to take Johnny back. This counteroffer disproves the con men's notions that people in small towns are simpleminded and love their children absolutely. 

How does Lord Capulet respond when he knows Romeo is at the party in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

When Lord Capulet sees Romeo at the feast, he wants nothing to spoil the evening's gaiety, so he asks the heated Tybalt to calm down and ignore Romeo.

Noticing Tybalt's ire, Lord Capulet asks his nephew, "Why, how now kinsman! Wherefore storm you so?" (1.5.59). He tells Tybalt to calm down, but Tybalt contends that Romeo has come to make a mockery of their celebration.
Oddly enough, Lord Capulet here acts as the voice of reason, whereas earlier in a public place, he himself has engaged in conflict and sword play. However, Lord Capulet has heard of Romeo as being of a noble and sanguine personality; therefore, he wants no harm to come to him, nor does he want any conflict to disturb the happiness of the night. So, he instructs Tybalt to leave Romeo alone. But, Tybalt counters that being agitated when one such as Romeo enters is the right way to behave,

It fits when such a villain is a guest.

I’ll not endure him. (1.5.74-75)

Tybalt's words enrage Lord Capulet, who demands that Tybalt tolerate Romeo; however, Tybalt does not want to be tolerant. Trembling from the rage that is being suppressed within him--although he obeys Lord Capulet--Tybalt decides that he will later make Romeo pay for this intrusion:

I will withdraw. But this intrusion shall

Now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest gall. (1.5.91)

It is fateful that Lord Capulet wishes to not harm Romeo because by not doing so, he has allowed a situation in which Romeo can meet Juliet, and has also angered Tybalt so much that he vows revenge against Romeo.

List the order of events in "Rules of the Game."

1. Waverly wants her mom to buy her some salted plums, but Waverly’s mom wants her daughter to display restraint (“invisible strength”).

2. Waverly’s mom rewards her for being silent with some of the plums.

3. Waverly describes how she and her brothers play in and around their neighborhood’s shops. She recalls how her mom told her about a girl who was killed by a cab in the streets.

4. When Waverly’s mom styles her daughter’s hair roughly, Waverly slyly asks what Chinese torture is.

5. At the Christmas party, Waverly gets rolls of Life Savers candy, and her brother Vincent gets a chess set which is missing some pieces.

6. Waverly’s brothers let her play chess with them when she offers some of her candies as stand-ins for the missing game pieces. She learns the rules of the game, and her mom thinks of the chess rules as similar to the rules governing immigrants’ lives in America.

7. Her brothers become less interested in chess, and Waverly becomes more interested. She plays against skilled adults in the park and learns a lot from them.

8. Waverly begins to play chess competitively in small local tournaments. Her mom attributes Waverly’s victories to luck but is very proud of Waverly's success.

9. Waverly wins trophies in her tournaments but argues with her mother about how the games should be played.

10. Vincent and Winston (Waverly’s brothers) are made to take over Waverly’s chores so she can focus on chess.

11. Waverly becomes a national chess championship and turns nine years old. She is featured on the cover of Life magazine. She feels “triumphant” win she wins games.

12. Waverly focuses on studying advanced chess techniques and gets more special treatment at home, but she still clashes with her mother, thinking that her mother wants to lay claim to Waverly’s talent.

13. When Waverly’s mom proudly introduces her to people in the market shops, Waverly gets embarrassed and annoyed and runs off into an alley.

14. A few hours later, Waverly returns home, where her mother is angry at her and ignores her during dinner.

15. Waverly imagines her conflict with her mother as a game of chess, and she thinks about what her “next move” will be.

How does Macbeth discuss what it means to be human and have a conscience?

Macbeth is fully aware of his conscience. Guilt and fear occur to him almost immediately after he considers killing the king. He must really work up to killing Duncan. His wife encourages him but in the end, he must psyche himself into a mental state to overcome his fear and future guilt. At the end of Act I, Scene 4, Macbeth has not yet killed Duncan. But he is already trying to hide his murderous thoughts: 

Stars, hide your fires; 

Let not light see my black and deep desires. 

The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be

Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. (I.iv.57-60) 

He doesn't want the stars shed light on his evil thoughts. He is afraid for the "eye" to see what he is thinking and what he might do. One could interpret that Macbeth is afraid of what God or other people think of him. But this idea of hiding his guilt has to do his own conscience. It's as if he doesn't want his own "eye" (mind or conscience) to see or acknowledge the evil that he is considering. So, to be human, is to wrestle with one's own urges and ethics. This is a Freudian analysis in the sense that Macbeth is wrestling with his own superego and Id: his respective reason and "deep desires." Macbeth feels at the mercy of a war between his conscience and his desires. 

Because Macbeth never masters his urges and emotions, he blames fate and circumstance. He feels more like a puppet than a person. He is never able to use his free will and conscience to override his urges. Therefore, he concludes that his free will had been an illusion. Here is part of his famous nihilistic quote in Act V, Scene 5: 

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player 

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage 

And then is heard no more. It is a tale 

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, 

Signifying nothing. (V.v.26-30) 

Macbeth feels like an actor. His life had been scripted and therefore his own will has meant nothing. Having never mastered his own reason and desires, in the end he feels like life is simply a matter or being manipulated. 

Why were the opposing forces of World War I locked in a virtual stalemate until 1917? What broke the stalemate?

The main reasons why World War I fell into stalemate on the Western Front are technological.  The technology available at the start of WWI strongly favored the army that was defending.  At the start of WWI, armies had machine guns and artillery and airplanes.  They did not have effective tanks or things like submachine guns.  They did not have much in the way of motorized transport.  This meant that an army that entrenched would be very hard to dislodge indeed.  It would have pre-sited machine gun emplacements that could sweep the approaches to a trench, decimating attackers.  It had artillery that could pound attackers who were out in the open.  It had airplanes that could conduct reconnaissance, which made it much harder to gather a large body of troops for an offensive without the enemy knowing what was happening.  The attackers, at the beginning of the war, had nothing with which to balance these advantages that the defense enjoyed.

By 1918, a variety of factors had changed that allowed the Allies to break the stalemate.  On the tactical level, there were some new weapons and tactics.  Attacking troops could now carry submachine guns, thus giving them more firepower.  They could be supported by tanks, which could give them a way to defeat machine guns.  They improved their tactics, making better use of their own artillery as they advanced.

There were also economic factors that helped the Allies break the stalemate.  The main factor was that the British blockade of Germany was more effective than the German blockade of England.  The German U-Boat menace had largely been broken by this time.  Meanwhile, the British blockade had helped to wear down the German economy.

A final factor came when the US entered the war.  The US troops were not decisive in tactical terms, but they helped tremendously in strategic terms.  The Germans knew that essentially unlimited numbers of American troops would become available over time.  This made them desperate.  It contributed to Germany’s decision to launch the “Spring Offensive,” which did not result in German victory and which cost the Germans dearly in terms of men lost in battle.  The impending participation of the US also sapped German morale.  If the two sides had been throwing everything they had into the war and ending up in a stalemate, it was clear that having a large new force thrown into the balance on one side would make a huge difference.  Because both sides knew this, German morale fell while Allied morale improved.

All of these factors helped to allow the Allies to break the stalemate on the Western Front in 1918.

What are herpes?

Causes and Symptoms

Eight different herpesviruses cause infection in humans. Herpes simplex types 1 and 2 (HHV1 and HHV2) cause cold sores
and genital herpes, while herpes zoster, or varicella-zoster virus, (HHV3) causes chickenpox
(varicella) and shingles. HHV4, also known as Epstein-Barr virus, causes infectious mononucleosis. A variant of this virus has also been implicated in a rare type of lymphoma.
Cytomegalovirus
(HHV5) causes a wide variety of health problems, including serious illness in newborn babies, an illness that strongly resembles infectious mononucleosis, and, in persons with AIDS and other immune deficiencies, disease of the retina, stomach, bowels, liver, lungs, and nervous system. Roseola, one of the many rash-and-fever diseases of childhood, is caused by HHV6. HHV7 is associated with seizures and encephalitis, while HHV8 is associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma
and some lymphomas.

Most commonly, however, the term “herpes” refers to infection with HHV1 and HHV2. A characteristic of both HHV1 and HHV2 infection is blisters clustered on reddened skin or mucous membranes. These blisters then either dry up or break, forming a shallow ulcer, and then crust over and gradually resolve. Another important characteristic is the tendency of infections to recur. This happens because the virus never truly goes away. Rather, it settles in ganglia under the skin and remains latent until some trigger causes it to become active again, resulting in a less severe outbreak at the same site of the body as the primary (first) infection. The trigger may be something physical such as sunburn or a fever, a change in the immune system as with aging, or psychological stress. Recurrences tend to be heralded by itching, tingling, or burning at the site of the original outbreak for hours or days before the blisters occur. Recurrences may be rare or frequent.

Some people are infected with the virus but never have any symptoms. On the other hand, the first infection may cause a person to become very ill. The oral form, called herpetic gingivostomatitis, usually occurs in childhood. Symptoms include painful sores in the mouth, swollen and bleeding gums, swollen glands, and fever. The sores in the mouth may be so severe that it is difficult to eat or drink, and dehydration may become a problem. The genital form of herpes causes painful blisters in the genital area, swollen glands in the groin, fever, and other flulike symptoms. The blisters may make urination extremely painful. Regardless of the site, the first infection usually lasts about two weeks. The blisters themselves may last longer, but they typically scab over without leaving a scar.

Recurrent infections tend to be milder, with a single or small cluster of blisters erupting very close to the original site of infection. Recurrences typically last a shorter time than did the primary infection.

The diagnosis of herpes infection is usually made by observing the characteristic rash. During the first three days of an outbreak, it is possible to culture the virus from the base of one of the ulcers. Blood tests in a person with no current symptoms are not helpful because they do not distinguish between recent infection and one that occurred years before.

Treatment and Therapy

The best treatment for herpes infections is prevention. HHV1 is spread in air droplets, so covering coughs and sneezes is essential. Direct contact with the fluid from the blisters or ulcers can also pass HHV1 or HHV2 from one person to another. Once the blisters have dried up or crusted over, they are much less contagious. Some people with herpes shed low levels of the virus even when they have no blisters. They may not even know they have the infection.

No treatment eliminates the virus from the body, but antiviral drugs will help shorten the length and severity of an outbreak. Continuous antiviral treatment will suppress the virus and prevent recurrences in most cases. Effective antiviral medications are available by prescription. Of these, oral medications are generally more effective than ointments applied directly to the blister. The common antiviral drugs include acyclovir, famciclovir, valaciclovir, and penciclovir. Over-the-counter lysine supplements seem to be helpful for some people, although scientific studies have not proven their effectiveness.

Perspective and Prospects

A wide variety of vaccines, antibodies, and drugs that stimulate the immune system have been tested in the treatment of herpes, but they have either been ineffective or have caused unacceptable side effects. Researchers in the early twenty-first century, however, have found a new type of drug that works to suppress enzymes produced by the virus that seems to be effective in animal models.

Bibliography

American Medical Association. American Medical Association Family Medical Guide. 4th rev. ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2004.

Cozic, Charles P. Herpes. San Diego, Calif.: ReferencePoint Press, 2011.

Herpes Resource Center. http://www.herpesresourcecenter.com.

Komaroff, Anthony, ed. Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide. New York: Free Press, 2005.

Parker, James N., and Philip M. Parker, eds. The Official Patient’s Sourcebook on Genital Herpes. San Diego, Calif.: Icon Health, 2002.

Stoppard, Miriam. Family Health Guide. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2006.

Sutton, Amy L. Sexually Transmitted Diseases Sourcebook. Detroit, Mich.: Omnigraphics, 2013.